Government

Military rule. The legal system is based on
Islam.

History

Mauritania was first inhabited by blacks and
Berbers, and it was a center for the Berber Almoravid movement in the 11th
century, which sought to spread Islam through western Africa. It was first
explored by the Portuguese in the 15th century, but by the 19th century
the French had gained control. France organized the area into a territory in
1904, and in 1920 it became one of the colonies that constituted French
West Africa. In 1946, it was named a French overseas territory.